A Sentient Animal
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A Sentient Animal (Un animal doué de la raison) is a 1967 science fiction novel by French novelist Robert Merle. The plot concerns dolphins which are trained to communicate with humans; the novel was supposedly the basis for the film The Day of the Dolphin, but the film's plot was significantly different from that of the book, even in inconsequential details. For instance, in the book, the dolphins are named Ivan ("the terrible") and Bessie, and call themselves Fa and Bi; in the film, they are instead named Alpha and Beta and call themselves Fa and Be.
The book was published in 1969 under the title Day of the Dolphin, ISBN 0-671-20182-4, translated by Helen Weaver.
